Strength for Life

My no iPhone Experience: From Raving Fan to Just Raving

I love my Macbook. No big thing until you consider I used to think macs were for artists. I was an engineer, wrote code, never liked Windows but knew how to make a PC work, low-level. So Macs were not my thing.

Then I got one—a new one—and loved it. Still, I miss a few things about my PC’s but overall, no comparison. It’s all Mac, all the time for me.

All good. Then I finally decided to get connected, to get the new 3G iPhone.

Being a busy guy who values my time immensely, I waited until the rush was over. I think it’s way cool (like as in "nuts" cool) that people will stand in line for days to get a phone but don’t think for a moment I’m going there.

Now way, no how.

So, I wait… and wait… then it looks like things are easing up. And it’s my birthday and my wife, Angie has given me a gift certificate to get one a new iPhone, so off the APPLE world I go.

Here’s the really, really short version of my ravingly bad experience. I walk in… no one talks to me. Perhaps I look too old? Who knows… I walk and walk. No one. Then I spot a random, unlabeled line in the center of the store. More people my age standing there. I ask. Yep, this is the iPhone line.

Just 4 people ahead of me. No big thing, right?

The Opposite of DIET = TI < EDHow to eat more and weigh less

Dieting sucks! And yet, at this moment nearly half of the US population is engaged in an ongoing struggle with food.

You can flip dieting around and stop focusing on deprivation, on less and embrace the freedom to eat more and still weigh less.

For most, a diet is a period of suffering, deprivation and a moment to moment battle between willpower and desire. Certainly not a long term success strategy for life. As I share in my book, Strength for Life, you can free yourself from this battle with the “10-steps to Dieting Freedom” in chapter 11 but today I want to go farther and expose the major flaws of the dieting mindset.

You see, dieting as a strategy for losing weight is at best half the equation. It’s focus is on limiting your total intake (TI). It’s got nothing to do with the other half of the equation: the energy you use through exercise, movement or your metabolism (Energy Depletion ED).

Trying to get thinner with nutritional limbo—eating less and less—is like trying to budget your way to wealth. Controlling your expenses does not wealth create. Want more wealth, create more value, offer more, generate more. Just the same, want to enjoy eating more freely? Take real action and use more energy in your life.

Dieting works on the simple (and relatively if not entirely accurate) concept that losing weight has simply to do with consuming fewer calories than your body utilizes each day. Thus, if you eat less than you “burn” you will utilize energy reserves which is in some part body fat.

Like I say, this is a relative truth for not only are all calories NOT created equal but when using ONLY calories in (Total Intake in this equation) to regulate fat loss, it’s a slippery slope. Try a little too hard to encourage fat loss, drop the calories just a wee-bit too low and the body will freak out and start holding more fat.

The opposite of dieting—and the more sound, sensible and complete solution for weight loss is to emphasize Energy Depletion (ED). It’s simple, rather than simply trying to eat less than you burn each day, focus on burning more calories than you eat. For when you’re (TI) Total energy Intake is less than your (ED) Energy Depletion you’ll lose weight. And as bonus you will be gaining a leave of fitness, a stronger more energized body.

This may seem rather obvious as I point it out but be honest… how often have you been told and or wanted to believe that it’s ALL about the diet, it’s about intake? It’s not. Effective, sustainable fat loss requires that you manage both with some level of clarity and mastery.

The REAL Joy of REAL Victory

Wow! Can’t you almost feel the victory yourself from the expression on Michael Phelps entire body?

In our plastic-idol, paper-thin, make believe world you don’t get any more authentic than this expression. You can rest assured, not one iota of this response was intended to entertain or impress.

If you too were fortunate enough to witness last nights (or this morning’s) miraculous come from behind, underdog victory of the US Men’s 4 x 100 relay team, you know why Michael Phelps was not alone in this stance. So amazing was the come back in the last 25 meters that the best I could come up with was

“Wow!”

Impressive on their part… speechless on mine.

This is why we watch sports—not to idol worship but to get a taste of the human experience—the ecstasy that comes only from achievement well earned. Sure, we want to be a small part of great achievements but there’s also that awakening of our own (often disowned) potential greatness. Fact is, success and belief—which go hand in hand—are contagious. When we bask in the glow of those who “can” we start to feel (and recognize) that “we can too.”

This is the first and essential step to achievement for what we believe is our reality.

The Easy Way Fantasy
Unfortunately, for many it’s not the belief they are infected with—it’s not a dose of possibility that gets ignited but a want—the desire to have this thing or that experience. Whether it’s riches, winning or even finding a companion many it’s in our nature to find an easier way—to want the short-cut.

Now, this time like you mean it

Some people will tell you I'm intense--others, myself included, prefer "passionate" as a descriptor for my unrestrained energy.

As passionate as I am about a strong body and strong mind, I'm equally passionate (e.g. intolerant) of those who mail it in... who are just faking it. And I mean that in any and every aspect of life. As a whole, it seems to me that's there's far too much acceptance in America today... we've taken to settling for "good enough" far too often to excel.

And as a result we're getting our proverbial ass-kicked in many areas by other cultures around the globe. This is impact I can see but the day to day reality of it is maddening--we simply expect too little of ourselves and those around us.

Look around, you'll see people "phoning life in" all around. They do it in the gym, watching TV and talking more than exercising, they do it at restaurants any place where there's an opportunity for service.

I agree with Christopher Walken and Seth Godin, no doubt we could use "more cowbell."

When Good is Bad

How are you feeling? “Alright, fine, good, can’t complain…” and all that.

When asked, “good,” or some blend of it (see above) is what we report over 90% of the time. With the intent of causing alarm, I’m here to tell you that “good” may not be all that good at all.

This common, normal, every day “good,” is a long ways from the vibrant, high energy state of “Great!” you deserve to be enjoying at this moment. Good is what most have become used to—what we accept without question. Why? Because you don’t know there is a “Great!” there for your taking. And why would you? Most of us haven’t enjoyed the abundance of energy that comes with “Great!” since we were kids—we’ve no memory of what “Great!” feels like.

If it’s been that long since you’ve experienced your full capacity, this should sound like some sort of fantasy or over-hyped promise.

It’s not. That I promise you. 

The hallmark of this “every day good,” stated another way, is not suffering: No serious ailments, illness or pain. Thus, “Good” is not the presence of something great but rather the absence of pain, illness or discomfort.

Come on! Logically you know there’s something more to life, but what?

While “good” can feel great when you’re just recovering from the flu, it can’t be the pinnacle of your existence. When you go from “can’t lift my head up weak” and sick to feeling good, “good,” can feel “Great!” Right?

When you experience just how “Great!” you can feel, this “good” you’ve been settling for will feel as off as being sick does now. For “good” is in the middle—it’s not sick and it’s not “Great!” Problem is until I mentioned it you didn’t know it was so—you had no reason to suspect that this wasn’t great.

Now you have reason to suspect there is a “Great!” waiting for you but only through experience can you truly know.

When you’re tired of settling for “good” and ready to start living life from a higher level—from “Great!,” you can make this change—and fast. This is what the 12-Day Total Body and Mind Reboot in Strength for Life does. I call this first phase in my program, Base Camp for it’s primary function is to re-energize and rejuvenate your body and mind—by cleansing, clearing, flushing and restoring—thus, priming your body for Transformation.

Thousands of people have already reported enjoying vibrant energy in a few short days by doing for your body what you do periodically for computer: Reboot. The consistent feedback from people who have done, or are doing, Base Camp is that they just feel “Great!” Most say that didn’t know how great they could feel—and wish they’d done this sooner.

Now you know what they didn’t—that you are but a few days away from getting back to feeling “Great!”

How Do You Get Your 5-a-Day?

The US-Government, while not exactly a bastion of nutritional wisdom, recommend 5 servings of vegetables per day for every adult. And this may be the one place I find myself in agreement with their nutritional advise for vegetables are a little like “models” at the playboy mansion, the more the merrier.

(Sorry ladies, that’s just the best I could do for analogies for the moment. It is after all vegetables we’re talking about here.)

I eat clean, healthy, nutrient rich food but still find reaching the magic 5 servings of veggies a daily challenge. My wife, Angie, is good at making veggie rich salads with dinner which helps. And I get an additional load when I make it to my favorite fast-food place, Tokyo Joes but you'll not often find me snacking on red bell peppers or raw broccoli during the day. Should I? Probably but it’s just not something I’ve bitten off yet—pun intended.

This has me thinking: If not now, when? When am I going to start getting in the mega dose of veggies?

First answer that comes to mind, “When I have to.” Ah… busted. Seems deep down I’m relating to veggie intake the way many relate to fitness and exercise—they’ll take it on when they have to, when their doctor says they are out of options.

Now, here I am busted in my own dance with what I want and what I know is right. Damn it! I hate when that happens.

I’m sure I could come up with some answers but I’d rather hear from you—I want to find the most creative, effective, sustainable way to get 5-a-Day and maybe we can all learn something from it.

So, how do you do get your 5 a day in? Or do you? Please do share. I look forward to being inspired.

32 Million Examples of How... Awareness Changes Everything

$32 million is a lot of money.

Imagine in your pocket you hold a winning Powerball lottery ticket ready to be redeemed for $32 million.

There’s just one catch, you don’t know it’s there. You have no (ZERO) idea whatsoever that in your pocket at this very moment is more wealth than you can imagine.

Will you reach in your pocket and discover it? Maybe something will spur you to remember you purchased this ticket. Or perhaps you’ll toss your pants in the wash and it will become just some meaningless scraps of paper in your laundry.

At this moment your life is as it was in the moment before. Nothing has changed. You’re facing the same struggles, battles, worries and challenges as five minutes ago and pretty much the same as yesterday, last week and even last month.

Yet, you and I know that this imaginary “you” is sitting on what may very well be the key to your freedom, joy and happiness. All you have to do is become aware of it.

Sure, this is a dramatic example but then again is it? What if we are all just one epiphany away from uncovering the key that will set us free. Perhaps it’s all really as simple as becoming aware of that which we don’t know we already have. 

:: List to My Live Seminer: The Strength of Awareness ::

Could it be that the key to your fitness freedom, to your best body and more importantly to your best life—a life of happiness, joy, love and freedom is both as difficult and as easy as becoming aware of it.

I subscribe to this oft quoted undeniable truth that awareness changes everything—and if you’re read my book, Strength for Life, you already know this.

The Miracle of Wiggling Your Toes

I need your help with this quick experiment.

Wiggle your toes. Shoes on is fine. Move them up and down or any way you can move them.

Now stop. Easy stuff, right?

Now, consider that your body is made up of over 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) cells and through some miracle of nature those trillions of cells have developed and organized in such a way that all you need do is think and your toes instantly wiggle.

The operative word here is “miracle,” not amazing, interesting, impressive, cool or astonishing. The fact that you can wiggle, wriggle or move your toes is nothing short of a miracle.

Now, let’s take this experiment to the next level and further revel in this miracle. Think about and see yourself doing 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups and jogging for 10 minutes—then do it. Act on the thought—bring the thought into existence, aka manifest it.

All you need do is generate a thought and your body moves. It’s not painful, nor particularly stressful or draining. You mind suffers no cramps or lactic acid burn from thinking your body to move.

Exercise is really nothing more than advanced toe wiggling. It’s that simple.

Ironically, millions of people are, at this very moment, waiting for a miracle to get them moving—to motivate them to exercise their bodies wisely. When in fact the miracle is already present—but like all miracles it’s of no value if you don’t see it, appreciate, let it in.

The Shape of Dara Torres’ Life

Already the proud owner of 9 gold medals, she went to her first Olympics before the Tiger Woods, of the pool, Michael Phelps was born and now she’s qualified to swim for the US in Bejing by winning both the 50 and 100 meter freestyle—swimming’s premier sprints.

Unless you’ve been away on a very deserted island, your iPhone rendered useless by a spilled pitcher of marg’s, you’ve heard about Dara Torres’ nearly superhuman performances at the tender age of 41. 

No question, Dara Torres is at full Strength

If you’re in your 20’s, it’s pretty cool to see someone “nearly your mom’s age” kicking-ass like this. If you’re in your 30’s her record setting performance may bring relief and hope that 40-something isn’t all “that bad.” And if you’re in your 40’s or beyond, Dara’s strength is elevating, inspiring and perhaps a bit of a wake up call for your own life potential.

For it seems that for many, once across the big 4-0, age becomes the central reason (aka excuse) for why they are struggling to get in (and stay in) shape. I’m not one of those opportunistic hype-sters you often find promising you there’s no such thing as age. Age is real—what’s not is the way it impacts most people, much more rapidly and drastically than it should.

Fact is your

life, my life, everyone’s life has a shape. Unfortunately most people’s lives are shaped like a cross section of a speed bump. They rise up, arch over and through their peak and don’t wake up to their declining condition until they’re well into the descent. It doesn’t need to be this way. You can change it, at any age.

How to Create a New Shape to Your Body and Life

In Chapter 2 of my new my book, Strength for Life, I explain how we’ve been conditioned to accept this early and unnecessary demise—and how you can change The Shape of Your Life, both figuratively and literally, in short order.

How to Stay Strong in a Weak Economy

Are you feelin’ it?

You know, that impending sense of doom, the inner-dialogue that starts every time you look at a gas pump or turn on the news? You know, we’ve had it pretty good for a lot of years and perhaps we’ve taken the good life for granted.

While everyone else is focusing on how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h a dollar or what bus route will get you to Walmart, I’ve got a different bit of advice for you in these challenging times.

Rather than trying to manage your emotions go straight upstream to the control room and take control of your focus—your attention. Stop staring at the gruesome details that cause unrest and stay composed, focused and strong. Know what you are doing and where you are going.

The hidden truth that few realize is that your life is quite literally the manifestation of your belief system. What this means is that if you see the world as a scary place that going to bring you great challenges, then it will be just that.